There is nothing like working in retail to kill the Christmas spirit

As I've mentioned before, I work in retail. This time of year is probably my least favorite for several reasons, but don't worry, I won't bore you with all of them, just one. Pop Christmas music is horrible. Listening to it for 8 hours straight makes me want to stab my ear drums with a dull pencil. First of all, there are only about 20 songs out there and everyone from Neil Diamond to Steven Tyler have covered them. Secondly, they all sound alike. It drives me crazy. There is one piece of Christmas music that I absolutely love and it is Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker. It is absolutely beautiful and I listen to it constantly during the Christmas season. If it were on repeat at work, I would be much happier. Today's musical selection is The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Children's music

I've mentioned before about my nephew loving Yo Gabba Gabba. Over Thanksgiving break I spent some time in the car with my sister and nephew and got to hear some of the music he loves. Most of it is from Yo Gabba Gabba, and I have to say, I enjoyed it. Kid's music is improving in that it can appeal to both children and their parents. I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that the creators of Yo Gabba Gabba are involved in the music industry. Here is a song that I particularly enjoyed.

My mother's birthday was this weekend, so my dad put together a surprise party for her. My sister flew in on Friday with my nephew and I got to pick them up at the airport. I love getting to spend time with my nephew but sadly he lives far away so I only get to see him a few times a year. Every time I see him I am amazed by how much he has grown up. He loves the show Yo Gabba Gabba which was created by Christian Jacobs, also known as MC Bat Commander of the Aquabats. This means he is being exposed to lots of good children's music that is also adult friendly, as well as some great musicians. The kid loves to dance and is a bit of a music addict. My sister played this song for me while we were driving back from the airport, and it made me love the Talking Heads even more than I already do.

Misfits

There is a great show on Hulu called Misfits. It is about a group of British juvenile delinquents who are struck by lightning and gain powers. Now before you start comparing it to Heroes, the two shows have hardly anything in common. First of all, the second season of Misfits is just as good as the first. I've been watching it with a friend of mine and I am hooked. Today's song is the opening theme to Misfits. Hope you enjoy.

The penguins in the suits, they know nothing but greed

A friend of mine posted this link to a story in the Huffington Post today about an incident at Berkeley involving student and faculty protesters being assaulted by police officers. One person assaulted was former Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Hass. This story is one of many involving Occupy protesters who are subjected to unnecessary force by authority figures simply for protesting what are unfair conditions. The Berkeley students and faculty members were protesting the rapidly rising tuition and pay cuts and lay offs while administrators continue to draw large bonuses. Rather than reply to these demands, university officials sent riot police to clear out the protesters. This story made me sick to my stomach. The current state of American affairs is deplorable. Banks have defaulted on loans due to irresponsible lending practices and have to depend on government bailouts, while if a person defaults on a loan owed to that bank, they are subjected to fines and penalties. Corporations cut jobs of people who are the support of the company, the people who actually produce, in order to justify giving large bonuses to executives. CEO's making bad decisions that cause a company to go under receiving large severance packages anyway. This whole situation is what Flogging Molly discuss in their most recent album Speed Of Darkness. The album was written while Dave King was living in Detroit during the fold of the American Auto Industry. It deals with the plight of the working man trying desperately to scrape by with what little they managed to get from the companies they worked for while CEO's live a life of comfort. Today's song is The Power's Out.

At a concert recently, one of the bands said something that stuck with me. He said that people listen to punk music because they are not happy with the way their life is and want some sort of outlet from it, whether they just got out of a horrible relationship or they work a dead end job that they hate. Now I don't necessarily agree with his statement, but I have noticed that the more unhappy I am, the harder the music is that I listen to. This isn't meant to be a post complaining about my life, but to give you perspective on my taste in music. I have two degrees, one in Physics and the other in Materials Science and Engineering. I am very smart, but with the way the economy is, finding a job is very difficult. I currently work at a home improvement store where I have worked for the past three and a half years, and I feel like I am constantly wasting my potential answering the same questions over and over that people could find the answers to on their own after five minutes on Google. Not to say I'm not grateful for having a job that pays fairly well for what I do and gives good benefits, but I wish I were doing something more with my life. I feel like I am at a standstill. Because of this, I have been listening to heavier and harder music when in a bad mood, which is happening more frequently. Here is an example of the music I listen to at work after we close and all of the customers are gone.

Here's a quick post before I go to work. I've mentioned before that I like Flogging Molly. This is an understatement. I've seen them live three times and have all of their albums. I highly recommend going to one of their live shows, it is a truly amazing experience. They come through town every February at the beginning of their Green 17 Tour, and I've seen them on the very first night of their show. Energy doesn't even begin to describe it. Here is my favorite Flogging Molly song, Us Of Lesser Gods.